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Original poster

Anyone requested that their (state) secondary start offering a GCSE?

59 replies

LittenTree · 17/04/2012 17:07

How do I go about it? Letter to the Head? Backed up with what?

I am thinking about "Computer Science" as opposed to IT.

This shouldn't be beyond them as they produce the best academic results in the county, inc Eng Bacc. (i.e not NVQ stylee 'equivalents'), my point being they shouldn't shy away due to complexity!

I know there has been discussion about this inc by the government. I am absolutely No Fan of this coalition BUT there is no doubt about it, somehow standards had to be recalibrated and 'proper' rigour introduced back into the curriculum.

Well, this is one way of doing it!

Our DCs need to know not just how to find their way around a computer, they need to know how they actually work and how to make them work.

OP posts:
awinawin · 17/04/2012 19:26

I think computer science should be taught as part of the maths curriculum and that IT should be scrapped altogether.

Original poster
LittenTree · 17/04/2012 19:25

Interesting responses. I confess to a bit of Shock that an IT teacher couldn't teach Computing. Who knew?

I shall send a note into school over the next few days and see what they say- even if they need to draft in new teachers.

OP posts:
HandMadeTail · 17/04/2012 19:19

Good point from cricket balls.

Years ago, my father taught electronics at a technical college. When they started teaching "microprocessors" he had to learn about it for himself. Often he was about half a class ahead of the students!

OddBoots · 17/04/2012 19:13

I was at my Y8 son's parents evening a few weeks ago and talked to his ICT teacher about how he is learningJjavascript and plans to move on to Python soon and she said "Wow, real programming, he'll know more than me". I had to stop my jaw falling and have resolved to take charge of computing education at home.

Takver · 17/04/2012 19:09

I don't see why you shouldn't ask - perhaps a letter to your dc's Head of Year explaining that s/he is particularly interested in this subject and would they consider offering it? They can only say no!

I know one local school here offers Astronomy GCSE as an out of school time extra because pupils who'd been part of a lunchtime club wanted to take it.

cricketballs · 17/04/2012 19:03

Apologies for the double post - phone is playing up!

cricketballs · 17/04/2012 18:53

the problem with computing is there are not a lot if ICT teachers capable of teaching it!

There are many ICT specialists who are specialists in using software etc and have no grounding in computing. There are others (myself included) that have been out of programming/coding/actual computing for so long due to the horrible, boring and stupid schemes of work we have been forced to teach that we would need to 're-train ourselves' before we could teach the subject!

Plus, there are other ICT teachers who have no actual qualifications in the subject, but they think they can use a computer so have been placed into the subject due to shortages etc and have stayed there.....but that's a different story!

cricketballs · 17/04/2012 18:28

the problem with computing is there are not a lot if ICT teachers capable of teaching it!

There are many ICT specialists who are specialists in using software etc and have no grounding in computing. There are others (myself included) that have been out of programming/coding/actual computing for so long due to the horrible, boring and stupid schemes of work we have been forced to teach that we would need to 're-train ourselves' before we could teach the subject!

Plus, there are other ICT teachers who have no actual qualifications in the subject, but they think they can use a computer so have been placed into the subject due to shortages etc and have stayed there.....but that's a different story!

BeingFluffy · 17/04/2012 17:18

Oooh then they can spend their times making apps and selling them, instead of just using them, sounds good. Maybe just email the Head of Dept and say you read about it and will the school consider offering it? They may well already be thinking about it.